Sad to see this

[Boggit]

I had no idea they were in trouble... :(
https://arcengames.com/great-work-on-starward-rogue-team-now-youre-all-laid-off/

[Jarhead0331]

I'm sorry, but how much staff does one need to make a game like starward rogue? It's a 2d arcade shooter. In fact, how much staff does it take to make any of the Arcen games? Technically, they seem very simple to me and there are a lot of solo indie developers out there that seem to do more with less. Perhaps that is why Arcen has financial problems....maybe he just has too many people on staff? I mean, does he really need that eyelash curler?

This pitch annoyed me the first time he did it. So, yeah...this paragraph jumped out at me and I'm really not moved. I hate to see a decent guy hurting, and for whatever reason, some people really like his games. Even though they do not appeal to me, I'd like to see him succeed, but I also don't like these long winded "we're out of money and will go out of business unless you pull through for us and make sure we get more money" posts. It seems to me he is taking advantage of the strong loyalty many of his fans have developed for the Arcen brand.

It's very embarrassing for me to come back and do this a second time; that pretty much cements that as part of my identity in your mind, doesn't it?  I'm now the guy who can't manage the finances of his company right.  Well... so be it.  There are many worse things to be.  Someone who doesn't take a last-ditch opportunity to try and salvage his staff is one of them.

[Nefaro]

Someone posted this awhile back.

JH is probably right, though.  Sounds to me like Arcen is trying to keep too many full-time employees on the payroll.  I understand that laying people off isn't fun at all, but ya gotta eliminate the bloat/creep when needed.  I mean... hasn't Arcen kept a musical composer on steady pay for awhile?  For making music in an indie PC game?  Ouch.  That could be a clue, if so.

Another problem is that Arcen's small long-term fan base have stuck around due to their AI War title.  But Arcen has begun pumping out some oddball stuff, for what seems to be desperate cash grabs, that are much more Platformers and that latest Twin-Stick Arcade Shooter.  Instead of the strategy games they got popular on. 

Actually, Arcen sidelined their work on a 4X game, which their old fans had been pining for, in favor of the quick Arcade game.  Talk about changing horses mid-stream.  :-\

[jomni]

A full time musical composer? Wish Slitherine employed one for Sengoku Jidai.

[FarAway Sooner]

Yeah.  We kinda discussed a lot of this stuff when he sent out his first appeal.

My sense is that the Arcen knocked the ball out of the park with their genre-blending AI Wars (it's a curious blend of RTS, 4x, and Tower Defense) and have spent the last 10 years chasing that same dream with a lot more expense and a lot less commercial success.  If you're a businessman who's never had to lay people off before, it's extremely hard on a personal level.

Sadly for me and for them, I appreciate what Arcen tries to do a lot more than I appreciate what they actually do.  Even among indie developers, innovation in PC gaming is pretty hard to find these days.  I own 3 or 4 of their titles but the only one I played for more than 5-10 hours was the original AI Wars series. 

That game alone was an extraordinary one and will probably live in my Personal PC Gaming Hall of Fame forever.  But it's tough to see a studio you like on the rocks, for whatever reason.

[Boggit]

I pretty much agree with FarAway Sooner. I have 4-5 Arcen games, which are innovative, but apart form AI Wars, and Bionic dues, I haven't really played that much. I think JH has a point about having too many people on the payroll. Their more recent games have never really approached the success of AI war, and like Nefaro says they weren't focusing on their core customers when they sidelined their 4x game. All the same I hope they survive their crisis.

[ArizonaTank]

It is certainly sad to see the trouble they are in. 

But it is very rare to see so much transparency into the actual economics of game development these days.  Here is first-hand proof that Steam is both a blessing and a curse for the dev shops.